Rebirth
by callie27
Summary: [chap 2 revised, chap 3 uploaded][AU] In the distant future, mystery and secrets surrounds the birth of a child while a doctor seeks her redemption. (rating may change in the future)
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump Comics, and all concerned parties. No infringement intended! Please don't sue me, a poor person. Any other characters created belong to me.  
  
Timeline: Sometime in the distant future  
Type of fic: Alternate Universe  
Other notes: There may be some expletives here so I'm apologizing ahead of time ^^; Also, I will be changing the personalities of the characters we have in some aspects. Furthermore, I will also change some of the ages and who's older than whom 'k? ^^;  
  
Real Dreams, my other fic, is on hold while I make room for this fic ^^; The next chapters should be up within two weeks after my finals ;p I promise to get more of the said fic soon to those who have been waiting! ^^v Please let me know what you think of this one ;p thanks! ^^  
  
Rebirth  
Prologue  
--------------------  
  
"Oh, daddy! Look, he's sooo cute!" a delighted voice squealed as a little bundle of what-seems-to-be-cloth-on-first-sight was handed to waiting arms.  
  
"Daddy?! Why, that sounds so good, dear..." cheerfully replied the man as he approached his family.  
  
"Shhh... Ooooh... Cute little fingers, ne Chibi? [Chibi = 'little one'] ... There... That's the way to do it..." cooed the woman to her newborn child as she held him steadfastly against her chest. Smiling, she brushed aside the cloth covering her son's face.   
  
He cried loudly just then.  
  
*What the...?* the woman thought as she shifted her body to peer at her son's face, all the while trying to calm him down from his raucous. She could've sworn she saw something... A frown crossed her features as she bent closer for an inspection.   
  
Nothing.  
  
*Odd... I could have sworn... I could have sworn it looked like...* she mused as she bounced her baby absently, trying to comfort him.  
  
"Dear?... Dear? Daijoubu?" her husband asked worriedly as he noticed his wife's attention drifting.  
  
Startled, she looked up. "Eh? Ah, daijoubu desu."  
  
Her husband looked at her again, disbelieving. "Honto? You don't look so... Would you like to rest now?"   
  
"Aa. You're probably right... Maybe I'm just tired."  
  
"Oi, don't start talking like that! Well then, I'll go get the doc now."  
  
She smiles. "Arigato." When her husband left, she cradled close her son hoping that it was, indeed, just a dream.  
  
**********  
  
The clattering of machines made their way to her ears as she walked down the long and gloomy passageway. In her hand was a set of printouts, showing charts and graphs pertaining to the recent tests that they were conducting. Like an individual possessed, her lithe figure managed to avoid all oncoming traffic of patients, doctors, and nurses rushing here and there while reading the thick wad of papers she clutched carefully in her hands. Then, in her state of absentmindedness, she almost ran directly into a pole when something in the reports struck her odd.  
  
Glaring at the pole like it was the one at fault for blocking her way, the young doctor sighed and made her way to the nurse's station where she was greeted enthusiastically by one of the interns, carefully composing her face to show none of her discomfort.  
  
"Konbanwa, Sensei!" the young intern greeted her enthusiastically.  
  
The young doctor looked up from the sheaf of papers and carefully showed a rare and small smile… a smile that did not reach her sapphire eyes… at the intern before pulling off her glasses. "Konbanwa." she said with forced cheerfulness while brushing aside her loosely-braided hair with one hand. "Um, is Matsuoka-sensei in?"  
  
The young intern grabbed a short file from the desk and began to leaf through the pages quickly. "Yes, he is… He's supposed to be in his office right now." the intern said after locating the appropriate entry.  
  
The doctor again forced a small smile to show her thanks before retreating from the desk. She then directed her body to walk the familiar, but dull hallways, to the office she visited so often these days. Her head hurt not because she was sick but because she was aware of how stressed she would be again after her report was done. She sighed imperceptibly and continued her trek.  
  
This particular corridor had nothing special in it. In fact it can be said that it is as plain and boring as any other hospital hall one individual would've been in: It was, as with most if not all hospitals, white from floor to ceilings, even the doors. It was squeaky clean as if the cleaners were afraid that one drop of foreign matter would soil the safety and sanitary regulations that the hospital was so proud of passing during each inspection by the local authorities. And, it was desolate, a corridor where barely anyone graced upon unless they had special reason to be present there.  
  
Her footsteps echoed monotonously on the scrubbed tiles and, although she was the only one on the corridor, the young woman couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. Looking around didn't help because there was nothing to look at except wall, wall, wall, door, wall, wall, wall, door… Audibly gulping and trusting that her body knew the way to the right door by now, the doctor brought up the papers she held by her side and started to reread it for the hundredth time, hoping that she had made a mistake earlier at the corridor. She replaced her glasses on top of her nose before delving deeper into the stack of white sheets. Unfortunately, as she found out some pages later, she didn't make a mistake and she let her frustration show momentarily on her face before hiding it quickly.  
  
Silently growling to herself, she almost missed the correct door. Cursing under her breath, she straightened out her smock and began to raise a hand to announce her presence. But, before she could knock on the wooden surface, she heard a hushed discussion from within the office.  
  
'Great…' she muttered under her breath. But she wasn't really disappointed because she was thinking that she could use the time while she was waiting for something productive. So, she leaned against the wall near the door. 'This will give me time to think of what to say…'  
  
The petite woman closed her eyes and started to compose her report mentally when she accidentally heard some of the conversation from within.  
  
"Can you really guarantee me…success…project?" came one voice.  
  
"Yes… one sample… months ago…" came the other, the woman recognizing it as Matsuoka's.  
  
"You'd better or… how long…"  
  
"... yes… She has been…"  
  
Then, the lady doctor heard the conversation getting louder and knew that these people were quickly approaching the door. Just slightly embarrassed for eavesdropping, she hastily backed away from the door when it opened. Two men came out, one being the tall, dashing frame of Matsuoka-sensei while the other was also a tall man with short, dark hair gelled in a stylish fashion. The two stopped short at the sight of the lady doctor.  
  
"Sensei." the mystery man respectfully greeted the young woman, bowing slightly.  
  
The young doctor could only bow in turn before turning her attention to the other doctor in sight.  
  
"So then… We will keep in touch with you…" Matsuoka said earnestly at the man and extending his hand.  
  
The other regarded the male doctor carefully before raising up his hand and shaking the latter's. "I will be waiting." he said simply before walking away down the barren hallway.  
  
Matsuoka turned to the woman and invited her to come into his office. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and beckoned for the woman to sit down but she refused. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down behind the desk.  
  
"So, what is this about?" he asked her patiently although his voice was weary and a little hopeful.  
  
The young doctor regarded him carefully, hiding her emotions behind a well-practiced mask before replying. "I received the results for the test on Subject A."  
  
Matsuoka raised an elegant eyebrow although if it was from shock , from disbelief, or from hope, the woman couldn't tell. "Indeed?"  
  
"Yes. It seems… that there is a slight problem…" At the short silence that followed, she decided to continue. "It seems like the final stage involving the… memories…" she trailed off.  
  
The other occupant of the room sat stiffly on his chair. With deliberate slowness, he removed the spectacles that were perched on top of his nose. Then, he began to massage the bridge of his nose as if to remove the tension that was building there. Without looking up, he asked, "So, is this what I think it is…?"  
  
The young woman carefully narrowed her cerulean eyes to mere slits, "I'm afraid so…"  
  
"SHIMATTA!" the doctor suddenly yelled, banging his fists on the table and successfully making the young woman jump in surprise. Then, as if suddenly remembering where he was, Matsuoka composed himself quickly but the woman could see that his anger was barely restrained. She gulped audibly when the doctor raised his eyes to look at her.   
  
His eyes bore no mercy.  
  
"You know the price I seek for failure." he said in monotone although his voice carried barely suppressed rage. When he saw her nod imperceptibly, he continued. "However, you are very good at what you do... and virtually irreplaceable…"  
  
At those words, the lady doctor felt her insides relax although she didn't show it. Fear would only make the situation worse.  
  
For Matsuoka, on the other hand, seeing this woman barely flinch at the face of a threat made him feel exhilarated. 'Finally! I finally have someone on my staff who doesn't crumble when under pressure.' he thought delightedly, remembering previous staff who grew fearful when they disappointed him and, hence, delivered poor and incompetent work.  
  
After a short while, "How long do we have to wait?"  
  
The other doctor didn't miss a beat, "Unknown," she replied in monotone, "there are too many factors involved. However, at first estimate, it may take as much, or as little, as ten years. Initial manifestations may start as early as two or three years though."  
  
The tall man closed his eyes and sighed. "Is there any other way to circumvent this? Any other way?"  
  
"None that we know of. But…" she paused.  
  
Matsuoka looked up at the hesitation, prompting her to continue her query.  
  
"Is it wise to leave Subject A with them?"  
  
He grinned humorlessly at her question. He had somehow anticipated this and so, "Yes. Since it's the first time we succeeded in this project, I want to see how the subject would react to the outside world instead of being cooped up with us here."  
  
The girl just narrowed her eyes further, still a little doubtful at the reply the doctor gave her but she knew that she isn't in a position to query. Matsuoka is her superior after all. So, without further ado, she handed him the pile of papers she was lugging around.  
  
'Good! She knows her place… This… woman… is intriguing to say the least.' the male doctor mused noting the blank expression the other person was giving him although he could read some doubt in her eyes.  
  
Just then, the speaker outside called for their attention. It was requesting for the female doctor's presence at a room they both knew well.  
  
Matsuoka leaned back on his chair. "Very well then. If that is all, please attend to your duties and report back at the usual time."  
  
She nodded her assent and turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Kamiya-sensei," he added quietly to her turned back, "do not fail me."  
  
Kamiya did not turn around but nodded her head before going out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.  
  
Matsuoka opened the laptop on his desk and opened up the file pertaining to the doctor. While he waited for his request to be given by the computer, he reached for his phone and switched on a scrambler before dialing a number.  
  
"It's me…" he said quietly to the voice that answered on the other end. "Yes… He did… No, not much but, we have trouble… Yes… I'm sorry. Yes, I'll send you the complete report right away… Yes… Once again, I'm sorry… Yes, I'll see to that… She's fine so far. She'll do what we say unless she wants her… All right." he put down the phone with a sigh and viewed the file before him.   
  
"Kamiya Kahori," he said again with admiration, "what a mysterious woman you are…" He read again her file, something he didn't pay attention to when she was added to his staff. He should have read it before, he realized, as he found himself whistling at her accomplishments in the medical field and then some. A grin formed on his lips and he laughed out loud. "It was good we got her! Brilliant, just brilliant!" he said into thin air.  
  
End of Prologue  
  
Notes: I'm afraid this will be a fic that'll take time to finish ^^;; You just saw two characters really introduced here, one of which I made up ^^; Kamiya Kahori will be, as you know, Kaoru, although her personality is different from the Kaoru we know ;p I don't want to actually give away a lot of things about the upcoming chapters so please stay with me if you can in the suspense ;p Unlike my previous works, I already have the outline to the end so I know what will happen; I just want to keep everyone in suspense while I write Hehehehe  
  
C&C welcomed! ^^ 


	2. The Start of Everything

DISCLAIMER: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump Comics, and all concerned parties. No infringement intended! Please don't sue me, a poor person. Any other characters created belong to me.  
  
Timeline: Sometime in the distant future  
Type of fic: Alternate Universe  
Other notes: There may be some expletives here so I'm apologizing ahead of time ^^; Also, I will be changing the personalities of the characters we have in some aspects. Furthermore, I will also change some of the ages and who's older than whom 'k? ^^;  
  
Some rants ;p  
-Thanks, Jason Lee, for the review! ^^ I am praying that the succeeding chapters would be satisfactory ;p   
-Yes, Kahori is Kaoru... ;p   
-Talaco? I'll look for the stories then! ^^ Thanks for the pointer ^^ Truth be told, I haven't been reading RK fics recently... too busy with the RK site I'm maintaining T.T *sigh* not to mention the fanfic archive I've been neglecting for some time! T.T  
  
Ok, enough of my woes... ;p on with the story! ^^   
  
Rebirth  
Chapter One: The Start of Everything  
--------------------  
  
"Sensei, domo arigato." [Doctor, thank you.] the short man said when the young doctor made her way to the door of the hospital room. The doctor just nodded her head and turned to leave once again. But, she felt the man's gaze on her back and turned back to him, an expectant look etched on his features.  
  
"They're just fine, Hishikawa-san. Your wife is just tired but your son is perfectly fine." she replied in what she hoped to be a cheerful tone. She even threw in a smile which felt so false to her. Fortunately, the man didn't see it that way. He actually slumped in relief and faced her.  
  
"Yokatta desu." [That's good.] he said thankfully. "For a minute there I was worried."  
  
"May I ask why?" the doctor asked a little timidly.  
  
"Uh? Oh! That's because… You see, my wife looked like she… spaced out… earlier." The man thought he saw something flicker across the doctor's features but decided that it was just his overactive imagination on the run once again.  
  
The doctor smiled again, "It's probably just the fatigue of giving birth." she supplied hopefully.  
  
"Eh? Oh, I do hope so. I mean, she's been so stressed out recently that I thought she wouldn't… make it… and…"  
  
"I understand, sir. Please take care of your family." the doctor comforted him, although her voice hitched just the slightest bit on the last word. "Your son is beautiful."  
  
The short, handsome man regarded the doctor with appreciation, "Hai. Arigato."  
  
Once the doctor went out of the room, the man turned back to his wife who was gazing tenderly at their newborn son. "Hon, how are you now?"  
  
"Just fine, dear." came the honest reply.  
  
"That's good." the man said as he approached and sat down on the bed, gazing at his wife and son lovingly. He reached over slowly and felt his son's soft skin under his fingers. "What shall we call him?"  
  
"What about Shinta?" his wife answered after some time of careful consideration. "It was one of the names we chose right?"  
  
The man smiled his assent. "Aa. That name is good." He turned again his gaze to his son. "Welcome to the world, Hishikawa Shinta."  
  
*****  
  
Kahori leaned her back against the door, lost in thoughts. 'So, some of it has already begun. Everything is proceeding so far as we had predicted.'  
  
"Kamiya-sensei?" a voice invaded her thoughts and she snapped out of her musings. Kahori found herself face to face with a nurse with a worried expression on her face. "Daijoubu desu ka?"  
  
"Ee. Gomen nasai." Kahori replied with a soft voice.  
  
The nurse just smiled and walked down the corridor towards the station. Kahori breathed out a sigh of relief. 'If I keep spacing out like that, might as well advertise to the whole world about what we're doing.' she thought ruefully as she started to walk towards her office. Kahori watched the people around bustle with activity and greeted some of the people in her usual friendly, yet impassive, way.  
  
Once she reached her office, Kahori tugged the sign saying that the doctor is still out before entering quietly. Inside, she locked her door and took off her doctor's smock, stretching her limbs to remove some of the tension and knots that had formed there.  
  
"Ooh… That feels nice." she said before heading over to the couch she kept inside her sanctum. Once seated, she dozed off almost immediately.  
  
**flashback/dream**  
  
Ring. Ring. Ring.  
  
"Moshi moshi," [hello] a quiet voice answered the phone, "Kamiya desu."  
  
Silence.  
  
Then, "MEGUMI-CHAN!... Iie… KISAMA!!... GIVE HER BACK, YOU BASTARD!"  
  
Crying.  
  
"… NOOO…KISAMA… Kisama… Ki… sama…"  
  
Crying.  
  
"Give… her… back…"  
  
Silence.  
  
"IIIIIIEEEE!"  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
Thud. Crying…  
  
Rain…  
  
** End of flashback/dream **  
  
"IYA!" she screamed, coming back to consciousness. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as she buried her face in her hands, crying her heart out, bleeding the despair she felt in her situation to the emptiness of her surroundings.  
  
"Iya…"  
  
Some time later, Kahori managed to drag herself from her couch and into the small bathroom at the back of the office. Going directly for the sink, she turned the handle and watched the water gush out from the faucet. Cupping her hands under the lukewarm liquid, she gathered a small amount and splashed her face with it, willing the despair, the hatred, and the helplessness to bleed away with every drop of the cleansing water. Over and over she repeated the procedure until she felt herself calm down considerably.  
  
Groping with one hand, she found her towel and wiped her face clean while she closed the faucet with the other. When she straightened up, she saw her reflection on the mirror above the faucet. Her once bright and warm blue eyes were now dull and devoid of life. Her cheeks, once a healthy color now seemed a tad pale. And her hair was in a disarray.  
  
Reaching inside the cabinet for a comb, she carefully worked out the tangles that had accumulated over the day. Once that was done, Kahori started to brush down her hair. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall into the rhythm of the brush strokes. Finally, once she decided that she was calm enough, Kahori redid her hair and stepped out of the bathroom. Once again reaching for her smock, she turned to a featureless section of the wall behind her desk and touched a blank spot.   
  
Immediately, a section of the wall came forward and slid to the side, revealing a dark and foreboding passageway. Kahori touched another unseen panel on the wall before slipping into the darkness.   
  
"I will protect you, imouto…" she thought as the panel behind her swung shut.  
  
Just after the hidden panel clicked shut, "Sensei? Kamiya-sensei?" a voice called outside the office. "Eto, Kamiya-sensei?"   
  
When nobody responded to the person's summons, "Odd, I thought I saw her come in earlier… I didn't see her come out though."  
  
Another voice answered, "Maybe you weren't paying enough attention, baka."  
  
"Oi!"  
  
"Just kidding!" the second person answered. This person sighed. "Anyways, it doesn't look like she's there so I think I'll just come back later."  
  
"Oh, ok… Was your business with her urgent?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, no… Just wanted to ask her something but she apparently isn't there so I'll just come back some other time."  
  
The chattering died down gradually and the doctor's office was once again left to the silence.  
  
*****  
  
Kahori walked slowly along the passageway, groping for the light switch on the wall. Once she found it, she walked more quickly through the underground labyrinth until she came upon thick twin glass doors which she pushed open. Once inside, her hand reached automatically to the side to switch off the lights at the passageway she vacated.  
  
Kahori looked inside the room, a laboratory filled with a variety of equipment both legal and illegal materials from floor to ceiling. There was nobody around at the moment and Kahori sighed inwardly. It was rare that she reached the lab first and she could use the breathing space. However, even before she could stop herself, Kahori found herself moving to the test tubes set beside a small tank filled with some sticky liquid. Pulling a chair to sit on, Kahori folded her arms on the desk stationed before the equipment and put her chin on top of it. Although none of her expression showed it, amazement still tinted her eyes in their depths.  
'Although I know of sin that was created, I still wonder how we were able to pull it all off.' she mused silently before hastily noticing that she wasn't alone in the room. Turning around quickly in her seat, she found herself facing the curious green eyes of Matsuoka.  
  
"Matsuoka-sensei." she acknowledged his presence with a surprisingly steady voice.  
  
"Please, Kahori, how many times do I have to tell you that we shouldn't be so formal with each other?" Matsuoka said with slight amusement which made Kahori narrow her eyes somewhat.  
  
"Very well, Akira-san."  
  
Matsuoka Akira just sighed. 'Such a difficult woman!' he thought, exasperatedly.  
  
"The boss will call shortly and I suggest that you make sure everything's perfect this time around." Matsuoka continued as if nothing happened earlier. At Kahori's nod, Matsuoka turned around and took a clipboard from a nearby table littered with paper containing test results and other pertinent data. "According to these, Sample A is progressing at the rate we had expected." At Kahori's second nod, Matsuoka continued his monologue. "Oh, and he will be released from the hospital soon so we better keep an eye on him."  
  
"We?" Kahori asked, stressing the word with enough contempt that made Matsuoka look up at her with genuine surprise.  
  
"Yes," he answered with conviction, "we as in you," he pointed at her, "and me." he pointed at himself. "Since we happen to be the ones who… made… him, we should keep track of his progress, don't you think?"  
  
'Or you just want to spend as much time with me more than you let on. I'm not stupid.' Kahori thought but said instead, "Whatever. But don't you think we might make the family panic if we put them under surveillance? Or maybe Subject A might react in an unknown manner to our continued presence? Matsuo… Akira-san, I told you that there are a lot of unknown factors yet about him and I personally do not want to find out what he is capable of yet at this age."  
  
Matusoka leaned back on the wall to hide his surprise. Since Kahori had joined his staff, she had chosen not to speak in great length and this was the first time he'd heard her really talk. "So, what do you suggest then? Leave him be with them until…?"  
  
"I don't know." Kahori interrupted him, slightly showing her exasperation on her face. "But I don't think we should be too involved with them. Yes, we should keep them within sight but I don't…"  
  
"How about surveillance cameras and such? Surely that'll be 'discreet' as you would put it."  
  
Kahori seemed to consider it. "Can it be done?"  
  
Matsuoka just smiled at that. "I'll get to it right away." he said before turning to the door he passed through. Just when he was about to leave, Kahori asked him, "How is…"  
  
She never finished.  
  
"Hn." Matsuoka smiled in reply. "Oh, in very good hands, Kahori, just in good hands. If you wish for it to stay that way, you know what to do." he finished before walking away.  
  
*****  
  
"Dear, do you have everything already?" came the voice of the excited father as he played with his son.  
  
"Hai!" came the enthusiastic reply before his wife came out of the bathroom wearing a loose-fitting cotton shirt and a skirt. Her husband whistled.  
  
"Hon!" his wife responded, a faint blush covering her cheeks. Her husband just laughed at her.  
  
"C'mon," he continued as he shifted the moving bundle on his arms, "time to go."  
  
Just then, the doctor came in. "Ah, Kamiya-sensei!" the father greeted the petite woman. "We were just going out to find you."  
  
Kahori just looked at the family in front of her when a slight pang hit her. She ignored it. "Thank you. So," she turned to the wife, "Michi-san, how are you doing?"  
  
Hishikawa Michi looked at the doctor and smiled, "Very well, thanks to you. Although I knew ahead of time what pains I would endure, it was worth it." she said, glancing at her son who had just fallen asleep on her husband's arms. She reached over unconsciously to brush her son's face with her fingers. "He's beautiful… More beautiful than I could ever hope for." she said quietly, brushing aside the urge to cry. She turned her gray eyes to Kahori again. "You gave us hope and our son. We could never thank you enough."  
  
Kahori raised a hand in a placating gesture, smiling a little. "The pleasure's mine, Michi-san, the pleasure's been mine. Well, please don't let me get in the way. Have a safe trip home and thank you."  
  
"No," Michi looked at Kahori again, "Thank *you*." With that, she got up slowly and engulfed Kahori in a hug before following her husband out.  
  
Kahori stared at the family with wistfulness. 'If they only knew what really happened then… I feel so sorry for not telling but…' Kahori felt the despair, the helplessness, and the pain just then. 'They are such good people, they don't deserve not knowing but…'  
  
Kahori knew she was in a tight spot but she can't find a way out of this mess. 'If only…' Yes, that was what she had been musing on these last few months. If only things had been different. If only events didn't happen the way they did. If only… If only… If.  
  
The doctor removed her glasses and sat down on the vacated bed. Slowly, her blue eyes slid shut and she let her mind wander to the past, to where the times were different and she had been another person.  
  
***flashback***  
  
"Oneechan! [big sister!] Oneechan!" came a small voice. "Hora! [look!]"  
  
"Ah! Sugoi! [That's great!] Megumi-chan, where'd you find this?" came Kahori's light voice as she peered at the small yet delicate shell her younger sister had found.  
  
"There!" pointed the little girl with long, dark hair tied up in a loose ponytail to a place further along the beach shore.  
  
"Want to take me there?"  
  
"Unh!" the small child of about seven replied with glee. A small hand came up and started to pull Kahori towards the beach with childhood eagerness. "Hayaku! [hurry!]"  
  
Kahori laughed. "Hai, hai! 'Neechan's coming!"  
  
***End flashback***  
  
Kahori knew someone was calling her name but she took her time. Slowly, she began to drag herself back to the real world.  
  
"Sensei? Oh, thank goodness!" came a relieved voice.  
  
Kahori found herself staring at one of the nurses who came with another person Kahori did not recognize. Unfazed, Kahori just looked at them and said, "Daijoubu… Just tired."  
  
"Ah… Well, that's good, ma'am. We thought… well, we thought you went into shock or something."  
  
Kahori got up. "You're here to change the sheets?" At their nods, Kahori started for the door. "Sorry to make you worry." Before either individual could reply to her, Kahori walked out the door and walked around to start her rounds.  
  
End of Chapter One.  
  
Note: Well, that's the first chapter and I hope that you're still with me ^^x I'm not an expert with hospitals and so, please forgive my lack of descriptions and such --; Hmm… so, what is the baby? You'll know in the next chapters so… watch out for those ^^  
  
C&C's welcomed! ^^ 


	3. Hints of Pain

DISCLAIMER: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump   
Comics, and all concerned parties. No infringement intended! Please don't sue me,   
a poor person. Any other characters created belong to me.  
  
Timeline: Sometime in the distant future  
Type of fic: Alternate Universe  
Other notes: There may be some expletives here so I'm apologizing ahead of time   
^^; Also, I will be changing the personalities of the characters we have in some   
aspects. Furthermore, I will also change some of the ages and who's older than   
whom 'k? ^^;  
  
The Rants:  
-Once again, thank you for the reviews! ^^ It's highly encouraging! ^^  
-Oh, so sorry if the translations come in the middle ^^;;; I write this way now   
'coz I remembered that some people commented before in the ml I'm in that it's a   
little hard reading back and forth between the start/end of the fic for   
translations… I don't mind though ^^ Don't worry, I'm shifting everything to the   
end from this chapter ^^  
-Nope, not Kiyosato Akira ^^;; Nice idea though! ^^ What happened was this. When   
I make char names, I either have a list of common names Japanese people have   
(d/l from the net) or I have a dictionary with me ^^x I felt soooo lazy I   
decided to use the former ^^v Akira was the first name to pop up… But, here, I'm   
deciding to stick with him being an original character ^^  
-Yes, you'll see that I've screwed up the characters' personalities big time ^^;   
hey, it's time for a change, don't you think? ne? *ducks thrown objects* hehehe  
  
Once again, thank you for your reviews! ^^  
  
Advance notes:  
-Sekihara Tai – Sekihara Tae in the present age  
-Ok, I'm guessing how they actually do funerals there in Japan ^^x Please assume   
that the Hishikawas are Catholics… I'll be using some of their procedures here   
^^v (or some of what happens here in my country ^^x)  
  
Rebirth  
Chapter Two: Hints of Pain  
--------------------  
Six Years Later…  
  
It was a gloomy day with the stormy clouds gathered up in the heavens. Although   
the rain had threatened to fall over a considerable amount of time, nature   
seemed to be playing a joke and the rain never did fall. Instead, the cold winds   
swept across the earth as the dark gray clouds continued to roll about, casting   
ominous shadows over the land and the silence being punctuated every now and   
then by the crash of thunder and lightning.  
  
'Such foreboding weather.' Sekihara Tai, a thin woman with a good disposition,   
thought quietly. 'Sure does reflect the mood of this occasion.' she added as she   
surveyed the scene before her.  
  
The lush green field in front of her was dotted by quite a number of people   
aside from her, all waiting for the same thing. Some of them were smiling,   
swapping stories with people they had caught up with while others mingled about,   
pointing here and their to their companions about so and so. Others still had   
taken to the seats arranged in neat rows near a freshly dug hole in the ground,   
staring at it as if the hole itself will suck them into the infinite rest that   
it represents. However, what cannot be denied at the peculiarity of the scene   
was the tension that hung in the air. The tension was so thick that you could   
probably taste it if you tried really hard.  
  
Tai sat down on a nearby bench and sighed, checking her watch with mild   
impatience. 'Should have been here earlier…' she thought as she glanced   
mournfully towards the front where people were literally saving seats for their   
companions. 'That way, I could have gotten better seats for this…'  
  
Just then, she heard the sound of engines approaching. Glancing back, her   
suspicions were confirmed when she saw the quiet entrance of a nondescript car   
followed by a long parade of people and other vehicles. The other people around   
also took notice and started to get to their feet.  
  
The car pulled up in front of them and the driver plus some assistants came out   
of the vehicle and opened the back door. Almost roughly, they reached inside and   
pulled on the coffin that lay within. It was not that big and Tai could just   
make out her longtime friend hanging near the fringes of the newly arrived   
crowed. If not for the solemn occasion, Tai would have waved to her friend and   
they would have talked the night away. However, this wasn't the time for that   
and Tai merely looked at the coffin being brought near the dug out grave at the   
front.  
  
Tai watched as Hishikawa Michi led her young son of six years to the front where   
the other family members were gathered, one hand gripping her son's lightly   
while the other clutched a handkerchief to her face.  
  
'Poor Michi… And to think that they were such a good couple…' Tai said quietly   
as she resumed her position at the bench. She suddenly found herself reminiscing   
the long gone times, when she would tease Michi to the man who would become her   
husband, Hishikawa Genjo.  
  
Tai remembered when Genjo would come to her, seeking her advice on how to please   
Michi who was then a high-profiled person at their school as well as her best   
friend. Genjo, being one of the good looking yet shy people, would come to her   
often to learn more of his 'beloved'.  
  
'And to think that Michi thought that Genjo was cheating on her!' Tai remembered   
quite ruefully, thinking of the time when Michi thought Genjo was courting Tai.   
'The trouble we had just to get that straightened out!'  
  
The priest arrived then and started the ceremony for the final blessing of the   
dead. Tai forced her thoughts back to the present as she half-tuned out the   
priest to glance at her best friend who was absently stroking her son's head.  
  
Tai glanced at Shinta, a little puzzled just then. For a six-year-old who had   
just lost his father, young Shinta didn't seem at all fazed by what was   
happening around him. 'Such an odd kid, if you could call one odd.' Tai thought   
as she remembered some incidents where Shinta acted really mature for a boy less   
than ten years of age. 'I remember that time when Michi got pissed off at the   
poor boy for muddying the floors in the kitchen one rainy day. Shinta just bowed   
and said he was sorry before mopping up the place! Then there was that time when   
Michi found his room in a mess and got mad at Shinta. Less than an hour later, I   
saw that you could practically lick the floor in his room. Really odd.'   
  
Tai was about to tune back to the priest when she saw Michi say something to   
Shinta. The boy seemed to interrupt his mother and Tai saw shock register on her   
best friend's face before Michi composed herself and focused distractedly at the   
sermon. Tai's eyes narrowed a notch. 'Wonder what that was about.'  
  
Shrugging and knowing that she will get her answers later, Tai just sighed and   
tuned herself back to the ceremony.   
*****  
Michi had somehow gotten herself composed for the inevitable. How she was able   
to hold it together after the love of her life had died, she does not know. She   
glanced briefly at Shinta and wondered, not for the first time, how her son, a   
boy of six years, could just watch the ceremony with a calm as if he was just   
watching television.   
  
Michi found herself stroking her son's feather-soft hair tenderly and, before   
she could control herself, leaned over and whispered to her son. "Daijoubu,   
Shinta-chan? 'Touchan just went away for a little while and…"   
  
But, to her surprise, Shinta turned around to face her, sincerity etched onto   
his features. "You need not explain it, Mama, I know what had happened to   
'Touchan." And, before Michi could reply to that, Shinta turned around once   
again and listened to the priest.  
  
Michi leaned back and thought hard. It wasn't the first time Shinta had replied   
to her like that and every time he did, it freaked her out. One minute, her   
child is like any ordinary boy of six years, laughing, talking, and playing   
joyfully, filled with curiosity about the world he lives in. Then, when   
something out of the ordinary occurs, Michi finds herself facing a six year old   
who had the bearing of someone more than three times his age. And he looked like   
it, down to the somber look a child shouldn't be wearing on his face.  
  
'Snap out of it, Michi!' she scolded herself as she wiped the tears rolling off   
her eyes and down her cheeks. 'You have to be strong… You have to be strong…'  
*****  
After the last person had left, muttering his condolences to the family Genjo   
had left behind, Tai approached Michi and enfolded the younger woman in a tight   
hug. Peering down at young Shinta, Tai reached into her pocket and produced a   
small bag of sweets and presented it to the redhead.  
  
"All for me?!" the childish tone rang out, violet eyes big at the number of   
treats presented before him.  
  
Tai nodded. "Hai!" she said as she handed the small bag to a positively brimming   
child before he quickly disappeared in a rush of clothing. Tai sweatdropped when   
she felt her friend's burning gaze on her back. Caught red-handed, Tai slowly   
turned around, hands in a placating gesture, towards her friend. She almost   
laughed out loud had she not come from a funeral. Her friend was red-eyed and   
sniffing, torn between her anguish at losing her husband and getting furious at   
her best friend for handing her child sweets.  
  
"Mou…!" was all Michi could come up with before blowing her nose on the hanky   
she was carrying.  
  
Tai chuckled. "Gomen. It's been some time since I've seen the little one and I   
thought that a present would be appropriate."  
  
Michi managed a small smile. "I know. Thank you. It's just that… I don't know   
what to do now, between us," she said pointing to the redhead sitting under a   
sakura tree, enjoying his treats, and at herself, "and everything else." she   
finished, leaning slightly on Tai after the latter offered her another hug and   
cried another fresh wave of despair.  
  
"Shh… Shh… It's all right." Tai said soothingly, rubbing Michi's back in small   
circles. Eventually, the younger woman calmed down.  
  
"And to think that we still don't know what happened…" Michi continued in a   
small voice, prompting Tai to hold the younger woman at arms length.  
  
"Nani?! I… We… heard that it was…"  
  
"…a heart attack, I know." Michi gestured towards a nearby bench and they both   
sat on it. The younger woman seemed to take her time, suddenly finding the   
handkerchief she was holding very fascinating. After a long and agonizing pause,   
she decided to continue. "I'm going to be honest with you… We told everyone that   
it was a heart attack because that was what they told us at the hospital, but   
was it really? I mean, I don't doubt what they told us but… I don't know…   
somehow, something didn't feel right in the hospital then when the doctors came   
to tell us what happened." At the disbelieving look Tai was giving her, Michi   
continued, "I don't know… They had this *look* when I was asking questions… Then,   
there was Shinta…" she said, indicating the young child who was now attracting   
and playing with some birds who had flown to perch near him.  
  
"Come to think of it… Shinta… Isn't there something… different… about him?" Tai   
said suddenly that when she realized that she had said it, her hands flew to her   
mouth. She suddenly started to sputter, "Michi… Oh dear… I'm so sorry… I didn't   
mean…"  
  
But Michi interrupted her outburst with a helpless sigh. "Stop it. I know… I   
mean, I don't know…" She looked confused for a trifle before her face fell into   
a mask again. "I really don't know…"  
*****  
"Sensei?" a woman with long dark hair said hesitantly.  
  
"Hai?" Kaori looked up from the computer's display to take in the arrival of one   
of her partners in the lab.  
  
"Matsuoka-san told me to give this to you earlier but I couldn't seem to find   
you." the young woman said in a quiet voice while holding out a nondescript   
folder for the doctor to view.   
  
Kaori's eyes widened a little before getting up and taking the folder. "Sakura,   
have you read it already?"  
  
The woman in front of her nodded slightly, eyes showing a little regret. "It's   
all right, you were supposed to know anyway." Kaori said with a small grin.  
  
Sakura grinned back. "Dai-nijuuichi wa dou desu ka?" [1]  
  
Kaori felt her eyes harden a little. "I thought you read the report?" she said,   
indicating the unopened folder in her hands.  
  
Sakura blushed faintly and looked down. "I did but I'm slightly confused. How is   
this," she pointed slightly at the folder, "supposed to help us recreate…"  
  
Kaori felt herself move out of reflex as she found one of her hands over   
Sakura's mouth, quieting her. "Shh…!" she said as she glanced hurriedly around   
the office as well as at the hallway exposed by her open door. Kaori lightly   
jogged to the door and closed it after making sure nobody was in the hallway.   
Sighing, she turned back to Sakura with some hint of anger in her eyes. "Mou!   
What were you trying to do?! Expose this to the world?!" she half-whispered,   
half-shouted as she waved the folder around madly before crossing her arms in   
front of her chest and pouting.  
  
The other woman choked and started to giggle. Sakura couldn't help it, Kaori   
looked quite adorable when angered and when she pouted!  
  
Kaori cracked open an eyelid when she heard the chortle and mocked her anger   
once more. However, Sakura was quite a contagious person and Kaori couldn't stop   
but smile and relax a tad. "Mou…!" was the last thing she could say in her   
defeat before she sat on the couch in her office, indicating to Sakura that she   
should sit too.  
  
After they were settled, Kaori looked at Sakura who was just getting her control   
back. "Mou… You're very contagious, you know that?"  
  
Sakura regarded her with amused eyes. "You keep saying that, Kamiya-sensei… er,   
Kahori." Sakura corrected herself when she saw Kaori shoot her another glare.   
"Geez, lighten up, will you?"  
  
Kahori, who had just been reading the report handed to her, froze and Sakura   
could have sworn she saw something… sadness perhaps?... flash in Kahori's eyes   
before it disappeared so much so that she thought it was just her imagination.   
"I wish I could…" Kahori said so softly that Sakura almost didn't catch it. She   
decided to try something.  
  
"What was that, Kahori?" she asked, a little hesitant.  
  
Kahori put down the folder momentarily on the low glass table in front of her   
before burying her head in her hands. "I wish I could…" she said again, loud   
enough for Sakura to hear this time. "Demo…" a note of exasperation was now   
audible. "Demo…"  
  
Sakura jerked back and realized what was happening. She then scooted over the   
couch and embraced Kaori as she felt the slight shuddering of the thin frame   
beneath her arms. However, Kaori pulled back just then, dabbing her eyes   
hurriedly.  
  
"No, I said no more tears…"  
  
Sakura regarded Kahori again and saw the determination emanating from her. "Kahori,   
sumimasen…"  
  
Kahori turned to her and flashed a quick smile. "No need for apologies." she   
looked down again and whispered, "Thank you."  
  
A short silence followed before being punctuated by Kahori drawing in a long   
breath. "Hmph! Enough of this." she said, a little over-enthusiastically and   
reached for the folder which lay momentarily forgotten on the table.  
  
Flipping quickly to the page she was reading, Kahori reread the surveillance   
report appended with the other readings. "Hmm... So, this is what he's been up   
to… Interesting…"  
  
"What's interesting?" Sakura said as she edged closer to Kahori to peer at the   
reports.  
  
"You asked how the subject is?" At Sakura's assent, Kahori continued. "According   
to this report, Subject A… er, Dai-nijuuichi… is, in fact, doing more than I had   
basically predicted around six years ago. He's maturing fast although he is   
still manifesting the basic qualities of a child." Kahori scratched her head.   
"However, if he will manifest the qualities we had burned into his memory, that   
still remains to be seen… Damn! I told Matsuoka that there are too many   
variables in this…!"  
  
Kahori stood up and threw down the folder and sensed Sakura's question coming.   
Kahori looked a little flustered as she resumed her seat again, a little   
embarrassed at her outburst. "Ano," she continued in a more controlled but meek   
voice, "I was just thinking… This so-called 'recreation', as you termed it, will   
we be able to control it?" Kahori said as she nervously played with her fingers.   
At Sakura's silence, Kahori rambled on. "I mean, so far, it's been great and all   
but there are so many things we don't know. What if something happens and pushes   
him to the advanced stage early? What if it doesn't go as we predicted? What   
if…? What if…? What if…?"  
  
"Kahori," Sakura said quietly, catching the doctor's attention instantly, "Let's   
handle one problem at a time, ne? Whatever happens, we'll cope with it in the   
way we know and are proficient in… Don't let that damn Matsuoka run you down   
like… Don't you see? Let's be optimistic here." Sakura said, ignoring the   
knowing look the younger doctor threw to her on her verbal stumble.  
  
Kahori sighed again. "I hope it's that easy. If I know him as well as I think I   
do, I would bet anything that he was planning something to speed everything up…   
again."  
*****  
Matsuoka sneezed violently. Sniffing cautiously, he lifted the phone's handset   
again to his ear, grabbing the small handkerchief on his jacket pocket and   
hurriedly wiped his nose.  
  
"So sorry, sir, just a cold nuisance… Yes, yes… I know it's been that long…   
There is progress, as I had indicated in the reports… No, no, sir! We're not…!"   
He nodded his head several times, as if he was talking with someone across the   
room.  
  
"Yes, sir, immediately… I'll see to it personally that it's done soon… I mean   
now, sir… Yes, yes… Good night, sir."   
  
Matsuoka put down the phone and leaned back on his chair, drained. With a quick   
movement, he removed his glasses and started to massage his temple with one hand   
while another grabbed his seat's armrest.  
  
"Damn. This hastens things up… I hope everything's ready." Opening his eyes and   
replacing his spectacles, Matsuoka reached for the intercom.  
  
"Yes, Matsuoka-sensei?" a voice answered patiently.  
  
"Please call Kaori, Sakura, and the rest of the lab team in here, please." he   
said, a little awkwardly.  
  
"Yes, sir." and the intercom went out.  
  
Matsuoka sat in silence as he pondered whom to call next. Staring at his   
telephone didn't help as it will not dial by itself.   
  
'Might as well get through with this… The boss is getting impatient.' he thought,   
a little fearful. Nevertheless, Matsuoka picked up the phone and dialed a number   
across the keypad. After three rings, he hung up and dialed again. On the second   
ring, he hung up and dialed one last time. On the first ring, someone picked up   
from the other end but said nothing.  
  
"It's me." Matsuoka said quietly. "Dai-nijuuichi." was all he said before he   
heard the other party disconnect. Matsuoka replaced the receiver back in its   
cradle and fell slack against his chair, waiting patiently for the staff to   
gather.  
  
'They won't like this one bit but it's not like I have a choice in the matter.'   
He smirked without humor. 'This is going to be interesting…'  
  
End of chapter two.  
  
[1]Dai-nijuuichi wa dou desu ka? – How is number 21?  
  
other notes/rants/etc :)  
-Sorry it took long ^^x I suddenly became *very* obsessed with working with my   
website for RK ^^v You'll see what I mean in the upcoming update there! ^^   
hehehe  
-Where'd the concept of "Dai-nijuuichi" come from? Honestly, I don't know. ^^;   
The idea came to me when I woke up so I decided to call the project "Number 21"   
~.^ Sample A, from the previous chapter(s) is of that project.  
-I'll be speeding some of the upcoming events so that the story will become   
clearer ^^v It's still vague at this stage ne? It will be much more clearer when   
I write the flashback of the events that happened *before* the story that's been   
written plus some of the events tied to it in the present… I'm still trying to   
read up on it (and I don't have much time to read background material) so I'm   
going to improvise --v hehehe  
-Sakura is based from one of the three sisters who protected Shinta from the   
bandits (and got killed in the process). She is also a doctor and a friend of   
Kaori's. When I was working on my site, I was doing profiles and they just found   
their way into my brain, begging me to include them in the story I had   
hatched ;p Stay in tune for other appearances of other characters in the future!   
^^ 


	4. Operation Retrieve

DISCLAIMER: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump Comics, and all   
concerned parties. No infringement intended! Please don't sue me, a poor person. Any other characters   
created belong to me.  
  
The Rants:  
-Hey there again! ^^ Thanks for the reviews ;p  
-Sakura just came by accident ^^x When I was doing my site and I did her profile, the sisters just jumped at   
me since I don't see them being used in fics ^^ *blushes* Thank you for your comments!!^^  
-Now, if I could just stop singing Saiyuki songs, I'll get on with this fic…!  
-So sorry for the typo in the last chapter! It's *not* Kaori… It's *Kahori* ^^; Sumimasen!  
  
Rebirth  
Chapter Three: Operation Retrieve  
*****  
"Shinta! Shinta! Oh, for Pete's sake, where are you? Shinta!" a young woman in her mid-twenties cried out   
as she searched the house thoroughly for her son. Her hurried steps increased in rhythm as she checked   
door after door for any sign of a fast-moving bundle of red hair that represented her six-year-old son.  
  
Finally, she made it to the living room only to find young Shinta asleep on the floor, cradling a toy truck in   
his hands. Michi sighed ruefully before kneeling beside her slumbering child.  
  
"There you are." Michi whispered as she automatically found her hand moving towards his hair. Shinta's   
violet eyes opened sleepily to meet Michi's surprised brown ones. "Oops… Sorry to wake you up,   
Honey…"  
  
"Mama…?" Shinta muttered as he started to sit up, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Is everything all   
right?"  
  
"Hai." Michi smiled as she watched her son tenderly. "I was just worried where you were…"  
  
Shinta came over and hugged her. Michi, surprised, could only hug her son in return. "I'm sorry to worry   
you, mama. I just…"  
  
"Shh…" Michi said as she found herself brushing her hand lightly on Shinta's hair. "It's all right, I found   
you didn't I?"  
  
Shinta just smiled at that and relaxed. After a while, he looked up at her, violet eyes suddenly dead serious   
making Michi take an involuntary gulp.  
  
"What's for dinner?" he asked innocently.  
  
Michi laughed and stood up, helping her young son up as well. "Come to the kitchen and find out, ne?"   
Smiling, she led her son back to the modest dining area their house had. In the circular table, Shinta found a   
number of Japanese as well as foreign dishes, all to his liking. Shinta's eyes lit up as he scrambled over to   
his chair and grabbed his chopsticks before declaring heartily, "Itadakimasu!"  
*****  
There were twelve men in all. All of them had worn similar dark suits much to the young woman's distaste.   
  
'It's like they're always going to a funeral.' she thought quietly as she eyed the black coats each of her so-  
called escorts donned over the rest of their clothing. She then looked at her own white doctor's smock and   
attempted to straighten it from imaginary creases before she realized that she was being called.  
  
"Sensei." came a quiet, yet urgent, voice behind her. Kahori looked at the tall man, surprised.   
  
"Ah, sumimasen!" she said quickly, noting the man's irritation directed towards her.   
  
Without hiding his impatience, the man continued. "Thank you." he stated patronizingly, making Kahori   
irritated enough to want a chance to smack his face. However, she managed to hold her temper in check.   
Her losing it will not bring them any closer to their goal anyway.  
  
"I do hope you remember the role you are supposed to be playing here. The operation will start shortly so   
please stay focused." He stressed the final word knowingly before turning around to head for his comrades.  
  
"Jerk…" Kahori whispered under her breath before crossing her arms in front of her chest, a little defiant,   
before turning her attention back to the so-called 'jerk'.  
  
The man had just reached the rest of a group under his command. They exchanged some few words before   
going over their gear one last time. The 'jerk' nodded and pressed his earpiece against his ear in order not   
to miss the inevitable signal.  
  
Kahori narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to block out the sudden feeling of nervousness that was invading   
her system. 'Gomen ne, Hishikawa-san' she thought as she suddenly remembered why she was here in the   
first place.  
  
Flashback.  
  
Matsuoka Akira, their boss, had called them in. The team was six in total, three males and three females all   
of whom were top brass in the field of genetics research. Matsuoka, Kamiya Kahori, and Erizawa Sakura   
were three of the group's members.  
  
Kahori looked at the other three doctors/researchers who had just come in to join the meeting. She had met   
and mingled with these individuals in the past and have become good acquaintances with them as she had   
with Sakura. That is, everyone except Matsuoka himself.  
  
"Well…?" the first, a man with long hair named Tsuioka Katsu, greeted Matsuoka. "Why have you called   
us in here?"  
  
Matsuoka just narrowed his eyes at Katsu for his lack of courtesy. A movement from the corner of his eye   
caught his attention. He turned himself to face the other two members of the team who coincidentally are   
siblings.   
  
"Yes, Matsuoka, we're busy people so you might want to hussle it up?" the male sibling with spiky hair,   
Myoujin Yasuhiko, announced with annoyance tainting his voice.   
  
Matsuoka felt irritation building up and was about to snap at the two men for complaining when they were   
late in the first place when the intention was muted by the other half of the sibling team.   
  
"Mou, Yasu-chan…!" Tsubame said before hastily retreating behind the clipboard she was carrying. "Be   
considerate."  
  
"Quit calling me chan!" Yasuhiko admonished, irritated and amused at the same time. Tsubame just   
giggled.   
  
"Suits you." Kahori said deadpan, earning a glare from Yasuhiko.   
  
"Why you…!" he began but was interrupted by his sister.  
  
"Serves you right, Yasu-chan." she said quietly before turning her attention back to Matsuoka who cleared   
his throat.  
  
"Thank you." Matsuoka said sarcastically as he finally got the groups attention. "Now can we get back to   
the matter at hand?" Seeing everyone's nod, he continued.  
  
"Before anything else, Kamiya-san, please report on Dai-nijuuichi." Hearing this, the Tsubame gasped   
while the two other men just gaped in their shock. Silence came immediately. Kahori sighed audibly before   
facing the rest of the group.  
  
"Dai-nijuuichi should be familiar to all of you so I need not explain anything." [note from author: I will be   
explaining more of this character in later chapters so please treat this something akin to a hint/a   
premonition/a what-not ^^;]  
  
"Demo… I thought…" Yasuhiko was starting when Kahori sent him an irritated glare as if telling him   
'Please wait 'coz I might be answering your question with my explanation so let me finish first!' Yasuhiko   
took the hint and sulked but shut up.  
  
Kahori, seeing this, continued. "Initial estimates during the start of the experimentation showed that full   
maturation will take roughly a decade and that everything we have encoded into him will come out as   
expected."   
  
Katsu nodded his agreement and interrupted Kahori with a question. "Has anything gone wrong then?"  
  
His question brought a slight smile to Kahori's lips when she replied. "Quite the contrary." she said simply   
as she passed a couple of reports over to the rest of the team. They immediately scoured its contents and   
surprise became evident on their faces.  
  
Katsu spoke again, looking angry and befuddled at the same time. "Why didn't you tell us about this   
immediately?!"  
  
Matsuoka answered for Kahori. "Simple. You were needed elsewhere during this phase, if you will please   
remember."  
  
Kahori winced slightly. She knew exactly where the rest of the team was during the time Matsuoka and she   
were playing spy on Dai-nijuuichi. They were in the main base of the client their group was working for,   
developing systems that would test the skills of their creation. 'I don't envy them since they were, after all,   
in the dragon's lair.' Kahori thought quietly.   
  
She cleared her throat quite loudly and, when the small debates were done, continued. "As you have seen in   
the reports I handed over to all of you, Dai-nijuuichi is showing signs that he is ready. His physical and   
mental development has surpassed even our expectations a little more than half a decade ago." With this,   
Kahori turned her attention back to Matsuoka to indicate the conclusion of her report.  
  
"Arigato, Kamiya-san." Matsuoka said before turning his full attention to his command. "I had just spoken   
with him." He paused and waited to see if anyone was thick enough not to know whom he was referring to.   
Glad that nobody was that ignorant, he resumed. "He wants to retrieve him now."  
  
Matsuoka let the statement hang and waited for everyone's reaction. He wasn't disappointed.  
  
"Nani?!" Kahori was the first to react. "But… But…!"  
  
"How sure are we…?!" came Katsu next followed quickly by the siblings.  
  
"We aren't ready…!"  
  
"Please… Please calm down…" Matsuoka tried to calm everyone down to no avail. Everyone was just   
ranting their heads off. Matsuoka sighed and felt hopeless and, at the same time, frustrated. Time was of the   
essence here!  
  
"QUIET!!" he shouted furiously and succeeded in making the room deathly still. Nobody moved a muscle   
until a knock on the door made them all jump.  
  
Matsuoka, regaining his senses first, said, "Come in!"  
  
A nurse with a long and braided hair poked her head in and, surprised at the number of people inside the   
room, almost forgot to ask her question. "Ano, is everything all right, Matsuoka-sensei?"  
  
"Hm? Oh! Yes, everything is fine, uh, Misako-san." he replied with as much calm as he could muster.  
  
"Sou ka?" Misako said a little doubtlfully. "Ja, shitsurei shimasu." with that, the nurse closed the door   
quietly behind her.  
  
Everyone let their breaths out at the close call. Matsuoka suddenly took on a stern appearance and berated   
the group. "Quit squabbling will you? We don't have all the time in the world as it is and the lot of you   
almost got us caught!  
  
"Yes, there are unforeseeable consequences if we retrieve him now. However, you also know what it means   
when he gets impatient."   
  
Audible gulps could be heard. "Are we clear on this?" he queried sternly.  
  
Yasuhiko sighed exasperatedly. "Hai hai." he replied dejectedly. Sakura and Tsubame just nodded while   
Kahori just stood rooted into place. She was about to ask about something that was bothering her when   
Katsu beat her to it.  
  
"What about…?" he began but was interrupted by Matsuoka who had anticipated this question ahead of   
time.  
  
"We carry out the plan just as we had discussed six years ago. No more, no less." the head doctor said icily.  
  
By now, Kahori could hardly breathe but didn't allow her face to exhibit her panic. Through her peripheral   
vision, she noticed Sakura throw a worried look in her direction but chose to ignore it at the moment. 'Oh   
gods, oh gods…' was all she could think of at the moment and felt her knees suddenly turn to jelly.   
However, instead of showing her growing uneasiness, she somehow forced the bile rising in her throat back   
down before asking a question.  
  
"When?" she asked simply, surprising Matsuoka.  
  
"Tomorrow midnight. A team has been called in for this particular assignment." Matsuoka replied curtly   
and turned his attention to the group. "We are to assemble here early the next morning to go to the main   
base as scheduled." Ignoring the resulting groans, Matsuoka plowed right on. "You have one day to   
straighten up your respective affairs."  
  
Matsuoka turned his attention to Kahori. "You will be going with the team to retrieve the subject." At   
everyone's questioning look including Kahori herself, Matsuoka explained. "He picked you randomly.   
Don't blame me!"   
  
Kahori looked at him suspiciously before reluctantly accepting his explanation with a nod. With that, the   
team adjourned the session and hurried out to make it to last minute appointments and the like. In their   
haste, they almost bowled over each other when they reached the door. But, somehow, they all managed to   
get through unscathed. Slightly panicked once reaching the deserted corridor, they did not notice a pair of   
eyes gleaming in the shadows, carefully watching their retreating forms. Everyone, that is, except Kahori   
who thought she saw Misako spying on them through her peripheral vision.   
  
Kahori spun around in surprise only to find the corridor deserted. She shrugged thinking it was just because   
of her jumbled emotions that she was hallucinating things. Willing her legs to hurry, she departed from   
Matsuoka's office.  
  
End of flashback.  
  
'Why is it always me?' Kahori thought absently as another part of her mind tried to keep herself focused on   
the task at hand. 'I seem to be always out of luck!'  
  
Kahori snapped to attention she saw the leader straighten up and motion to his men that the signal to begin   
the mission has been received. He looked at the young doctor and motioned her to take her place.  
  
'Oh well… This is it.' Kahori sighed resignedly as she took her position behind the team. 'Might as well   
get this over with and regret it later.'   
  
Kahori took a deep breath and willed her feelings to become nonexistent… to become apathetic to what is   
about to happen. 'Gomen nasai, Michi-san…' were her last thoughts before she followed the stealthy   
movements of her companions. 'Honto ni gomen nasai…'  
*****  
Shinta hugged his pillow lightly as the sweetness of the night wind led him to sleep's peaceful embrace.   
The tranquility of it all lulled him into a dreamless state that promised a fresh start in the morning. Sighing   
quietly, Shinta shifted from his position and turned his body around to face the other way, positioning his   
small body to a more comfortable position. After several more tiny movements, he felt contented enough to   
settle in once more.  
  
Suddenly, the wind changed direction and blew quietly through the open windowsill, carrying with it an   
urgent message.   
  
Shinta sat up abruptly and narrowed his violet eyes, making him appear so much older than his six years.   
There was a dangerous gleam in the twin purple orbs as his young face took on a frighteningly dangerous   
and alert look.   
  
Shinta calmed down his racing heart and directed his senses outward, forcing his eyes and ears to perceive   
the minute details in his surroundings. At first, he detected nothing and thought that he was just getting   
paranoid. The young one started to relax himself once again when he caught it with his withdrawing senses.   
'I was not mistaken then.' the young boy thought quietly as he slid quietly from his bed and crept towards   
the opposite wall in a stealthy manner with grace not suited for a child his age.   
  
The young redhead narrowed his eyes once again and directed his senses outward. This time the danger he   
sensed earlier was confirmed more strongly when he felt the malicious presence of individuals nearby.  
  
'There is danger.' he thought quickly. 'They are here.'  
  
End of chapter three.  
  
Translations:  
1.Itadakimasu – what Japanese say right before eating. Translates literally to something like "We/I   
am going to eat!"  
2.Sou ka? Ja, shitsurei shimasu. – Is that so? Then, I'll be going now. (I really hope I used the   
correct sentences here. Was in a hurry so I wasn't sure if what I said was correct to the Japanese   
^^;;;)  
3.Gomen nasai, Michi-san. Honto ni gomen nasai. – I'm sorry, Ms. (In this case Mrs.) Michi. I'm   
really sorry.  
  
Character Guide:  
  
Just wanted to let you know who is who by now in case you're confused ^^  
Kamiya Kahori – Kamiya Kaoru  
Hishikawa Shinta – Shinta ;p Made up the surname  
Erizawa Sakura – Made up the surname. Sakura is one of the 3 sisters that rescued Shinta from the bandits   
when the group of slave traders they were with was attacked.  
Myoujin Yasuhiko – Myoujin Yahiko  
Myoujin Tsubame – Sanjou Tsubame - I have nothing against Yahiko/Tsubame ^^x I just thought it   
would be fun if they were siblings in this story! ^^  
(Makimachi) Misako – this is actually Makimachi Misao ^^  
  
Other notes:  
  
-Hishikawa Michi and Matsuoka Akira are my original characters.  
-I'm literally mixing up the RK universe in this one so if you have any more questions about what is going   
on, please feel free to ask ;p   
-Sorry it took long with this chapter ^^; Was waaay busy with school and I got mixed up with my own plot!   
T.T hehehe  
-I'll keep you guys somehow guessing. Sorry for the runaround ^^; 


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